


thought if i could fool you i'd believe it too, but the truth is i still love you

by theyoungestzerogmechanic



Series: 100 ways to say [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Getting Back Together, Post Episode 14, Sharing a Bed, josie finds out about the merge, our girls have talk, penelope stays at the salvatore school, some of her talk with josie happened and some of it didn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 06:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18244031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyoungestzerogmechanic/pseuds/theyoungestzerogmechanic
Summary: penelope doesn't leave the salvatore school but she does decide that it's time josie finds out about the merge36. 'we'll figure it out'





	thought if i could fool you i'd believe it too, but the truth is i still love you

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know what this is but here. i am so emotional over josie/penelope and i don't know how to handle it. 
> 
> for context penelope isn't leaving the salvatore school but other than that ep.14 went as shown; she still has the emotional talk with josie but it goes slightly differently.
> 
> title is from _the truth is_ by echo lynn, one of the many songs on what i've realized is essentially a posie break up playlist. this is number thirty-six of my one hundred ways to say i love you challenge, 'we'll figure it out'.
> 
> as always you can find me @keylethsvex on tumblr and happy reading!

Penelope is woken up by soft click of her dorm room door closing. The room is dark and while she’s waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low light she hears quiet footsteps moving towards the bed accompanied by shaky breathing. The movement stops just short of the bed and as Penelope blinks into the darkness of the room her eyes finally focus and she finds herself looking up at Josie’s face.

“Josie?” Penelope asks, one hand coming up to rub at her eyes.

“Hi Penny,” Josie says, shifting awkwardly onto the heels of her feet.

“Is everything okay?” Penelope reaches out a hand, fumbling blindly for a moment before her lamp flickers on, bathing the room in a dull yellow light. 

Penelope looks Josie over for signs of what might be wrong, trying to identify a reason why her ex-girlfriend is in her dorm room in the middle of the night. All she comes across is the tearstains on Josie’s cheeks.

“Not really,” Josie admits, voice rough from crying, “I read what my dad wrote in that book you gave me, about the merge.” She clarifies, as though it hadn’t all clicked into place for Penelope the moment Josie brought up the book. “So- yeah.”

“Jojo,” Penelope says, moving into a sitting position and trying to force herself into wakefulness. She hadn’t been ignorant about what the merge would mean for Josie when she’d handed over the information, knew that it would be something of an emotional bomb, but Penelope had figured that it was time the other girl knew about what was in store for her as a part of the Gemini coven.

“I just- I don’t,” Josie draws in a deep, shaking breath, “Do you mind if I stay with you tonight? I need- I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“What about Lizzie?” Penelope asks. As much as she’s dreamt about this moment, Penelope can’t imagine herself being Josie’s first choice given the current state of their relationship.

“We had a fight, a big one,” Josie says, tears beginning to well back up in her eyes, “Before I came to talk to you this evening actually. About how she constantly expects me to there for her at her every beck and call; and about how I don’t do anything to dissuade her from it. We argued about you, too.” 

Despite Penelope’s own feelings about the type of relationship Josie has with her sister she knows how much Lizzie means to Josie. Understands how much it hurts Josie to be fighting with her twin. 

“Of course you can stay here,” Penelope slides over and tugs her duvet down, creating space for Josie to clamber in beside her.

Josie’s wearing her favourite pyjama set, black shorts and a button up shirt covered in little yellow stars, and when she tucks herself into Penelope’s side like its second nature Penelope’s hand automatically goes to the small hole just below the waistband through which she can feel the sharp angle of Josie’s hipbone. Josie’s breath hitches slightly against Penelope’s neck and she shifts infinitesimally closer.

“What am I going to do?” Josie asks quietly.

“What are _we_ going to do,” Penelope corrects, “You don’t have to go through this alone Josie.”

“I don’t want to die,” Josie says, “But I don’t want Lizzie to die either.”

“Hey, look at me,” Penelope says, shifting downwards until she’s nose to nose with Josie. When Josie meets her steady gaze she continues, “From what I read it sounds like there’s already a team on it. We’ll figure this out Josie, neither of you are going to die if I have anything to say about it. Especially not you, my heart couldn’t take it.”

Josie is still holding her gaze and Penelope feels like she’s said too much. So much of her relationship with Josie post breakup has been arguing and pretending that neither of them still has feelings for the other. This admission feels like crossing a line.

“I guess what you said earlier makes sense now,” Josie says a little bitterly, “About me understanding why you’ve done everything you have. For the record, I think you went about it the wrong way but I understand your side a little better now.”

“Is this you saying that you forgive me?”

“No, but it is me saying that I’m starting to work towards it.”

“I’ll take it,” Penelope says with the soft smile that’s reserved specifically for Josie. She takes some time to admire the other girl, backlit by the warm yellow light of the lamp. The light making her hair shine and the shadows define her soft features. “I meant it earlier when I said that I love you and when I said we’re going to figure this whole merge thing out.”

“I know you did,” Josie’s still holding Penelope’s gaze and Penelope can see what Josie isn’t saying in her eyes, _I love you too_. She understands why Josie isn’t willing to say it aloud yet after everything that Penelope has put her through over the past few months.

Josie’s eyes flutter downwards for a moment before they lock back onto Penelope’s and she’s moving forwards with a conviction Penelope hasn’t seen in a while. Her lips meet Penelope’s, one of her hands coming up to cup Penelope’s face as she leans further into the kiss. Penelope lets her eyes flutter closed, happy to follow Josie’s lead as she reciprocates the kiss.

Josie pulls back eventually, the hand cupping Penelope’s cheek sliding down to rest just below her jaw as she leans her forehead against Penelope’s while they catch their breath. 

“I thought we only made out when worms were invading our brains?” Penelope asks, repeating Josie’s jab from the day before. She doesn’t want to ruin what just occurred between them, but she needs to know that Josie is serious about this. Is serious about her.

“We both know that was an excuse. I didn’t know how to process the fact that I still wanted you after everything you put me though,” Josie says, “And I’m still not completely past everything that happened but- I miss you Penelope.”

“If you’re serious about this-“ Penelope starts.

“So serious,” Josie gives her a genuine smile, the kind that Penelope hasn’t had directed at her in a long time.

“Alright,” Penelope shuts her eyes again and let’s herself lie in Josie’s arms for a minute, let’s herself feel happy. “We really should get some sleep,” Penelope says eventually with a soft sigh, “But we can finish this conversation in the morning when we’re both more awake.” 

Penelope sits up slightly and leans across Josie to turn the lamp off. Once the room is dark again she settles back onto her side and Josie repositions herself, her front pressed to Penelope’s back with a hand tucked securely around the other girl’s waist. Penelope hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed this. When she had broken things off with Josie she had thought she was doing what was in Josie’s best interest while failing to consider what it would do to both her and to Josie. For someone who claimed to be able to see the big picture sometimes Penelope missed things, things like how alone she would feel without Josie. But it seemed that this was something she could come back from after all. Penelope plans to stay awake until Josie falls asleep but she finds herself drifting off to the sound of Josie’s breathing and the off rhythm feeling of Josie stroking her thumb across Penelope’s ribs where her hand sits underneath her sleep shirt.


End file.
